Web 2.0--Interactive Workshop

Aloha,

Thank you for attending this interactive workshop. Please post a response briefly describing what you learned today, and any thoughts you might have on how you might integrate this into your professional work.

Mahalo!

BIll and Jeannine's Big Adventure: Pics of Our Neighborhood

When we lived in The Woodlands, the teachers I worked with and I (I must confess) nicknamed the women of the Woodlands, the WOWs. To be a wow you lived the good life taking full advantage of the amenities of The Woodlands, and generally didn't work. Well, I'm not quite a WOW being a Waikoloa Woman( I work), but the wonder of this place wows me daily. On my morning walk I inhale the delicate aroma of the Plumeria, ogle with appreciation the loaded lemon tree, and marvel at the vibrant colors of the bouganville. I walk up a hill as I our subdivision is cut in the side of a mountain. Today my legs were really hurting and I just thought, "Ok, that's going to make some nice leg muscles if I do this day after day!

I just go through the day blessing and being blessed in this beautiful space. Look at some of the pics I took day of my little car, the view of the ocean and mountains from our home, and our home. Let me know how it affects you.

Perseids Meteor Showers

Hi Everyone, It looks like the Perseids Metorite Showers will be putting in a spectacular appearance around August 12th and then the Aurigids will be showing September 1. Check your night sky!!!!!!

Aloha!

Aloha! Greetings from Bill and I from beautiful, sunny, pristeen Hawaii! We are settled in our home at Waikoloa Village and we finally have DSL connection! Our house is stucco, with an asphalt roof. It has a bit of a look of the islands in that it has so many windows in it and so much sun shines in. Where we live, it only rains about seven inches a year! It is maika'i for allergy sufferers! Basically my lungs don't burn here from pollution because there isn't any!

Let me give you a little tour of our property. Our property faces west and we see the beautiful sapphire blue Pacific Ocean! Honestly! We are about 1500-2000 feet up the side of a mountain. Out our side window to the north, we see the Kohala mountains, and out the southeast we see Mauna Kea, the largest mountain in the world when measured from base to summit. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mauna_Kea. It also houses several observatories, and you might enjoy reading about the world famous Institute for Astronomy that is housed atop Mauna Keo. http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/ifa/about_ifa.htm

Interestingly, our lawn is composed of lava rock! Yes, that's right--lava rock! We have to bring dirt in to plant grass, but we will plant a special kind of grass that was meant to grow near the sea. It grows from rhizomes that seed themselves from cuttings gathered from someone's recently cut lawn!!!! Very inexpensive and hardy for this climate!

I'll work on getting some pics out tomorrow. I have to go get a special connector for my computer to read my cam's memory card. The nearest place to get this is Waimea, which is 15 miles away! Another story for another time! Ah, life in a village! We love it!

Dianna's Presentation

Write everything we see in th e pciture:

Metropolitan office building
Guy is taller than the building
Woman is smaller.
Woman has Dianna's eyes.
Both man and woman have on black






Is the gu the most important element of the picture?

Response to Going Someplace Special

Throughout my life, there have been many special places. For a long time, it was wherever my mom and dad were--home. I loved visiting both of my grandparents--one set in the bayou country of Norco, Louisiana and one set in the hills of central Louisiana--Alexandria. Both of their homes were filled with hugs, love, good food, comfort and security.

Later in life, someplace special became school. I loved the books, teachers, friends, learning and challenges. I even loved the smell of crayons, paste, freshly run dittos, and newly-sharpened pencils. I loved to read and my mom filled our home with books that were checked out from the library and school readers ordered as teacher review copies. I read all the basal readers and literature books before I was 13 and had nothing new to read in school assignments until late in high school as a result. In the pages of the books, I was home.

After college, I became a teacher and soon my definition of home extended to include Pearl Watson Junior High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The faculty and staff became my extended family. But that was just a short time, because I soon met a handsome young army officer who became my husband, best friend, and personification of family. We quickly had three children and then home for me became wherever my husband was and my children. I thought this was the perfect definition for "home."

Abruptly, home changed for me. In August 2003, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. Quickly the doctors determined determined it has metasticized to the liver. I had a 20% chance to live. Faced with that reality and the accompanying chemo and its side effects--there was no place special to go to get away from that. Where was home?

Day after day, I went to daily mass at St Maria Goretti's. Short of breath, dragging around a portable chemo pump, tummy hurting from tumors and chemo side effects, I immersed myself in the Liturgy and the Eucharist. Afterwards, I would quietly sit in the chapel, for Eucharistic Adoration. I repeated the name of Jesus over and over, immersing myself in His spirit. One day, I looked up and realized that Jesus was with me, and in me, and that was where my home was now--my someplace special.

I have survived that cancer and continue to get maintenance treatments. In that closeness to God, I find a freedom knowing that my somepalce special is always with Him. It's not tied to a person or people or a geographical place, but I just open the door of my hear tand He is there with me.

With that knowledge, I now close the door to my time at UTA and walk through a new door to a new adventure working at the University of Hawaii and living in Hawaii. No longer afraid of new places or challenges I know that my Lord is with me, directing me there to do His work. I look forward to working with the Hawaii State Writing Project, teaching classes, having fun building a new life with my husband and being there for my daughter, grandson and new twin grandsons who will be here by Christmas. I take each of you with me in my heart and look forward to growing with you--knowing that in Christ--there are no geographical boundaries and that we are all in that "someplace special."

The Road Not Taken: Reflections Upon a Visit to River Legacy

The Road Not Taken: Reflections Upon a Visit to River Legacy

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Robert Frost's words from his 1915 poem, " The Road Not Taken" I went to River Legacy yesterday with so much anticipation for what the day would offer. Fourteen women from UTA's Bluebonnet Writing Project and two instructors gathered in the River Legacy Science Center, armored up with mosquito repellent, water bottles, sun screen and eager attitudes. I was concerned as one of our students sent me this e-mail which resonated with fear she could not keep concealed:

I was browsing the River Legacy website on tonight, and a huge rattle snake showed up as a picture in their nature path. I'm unsure if you caught the conversation I had with Sherry and Jolyn on today in the "DMZ," but snakes terrify me on an entirely different level than they do with others. The thought, mention, or sight of (oh my!) a snake will send me into embarrassing hysterics and shock. I am speaking from true experience.

I quickly wrote her back, assuring her that I understood and asking her if she'd consider joining us for the inside portion of the day. When I arrived at River Legacy, I saw that Rediesha was there, girded with prayer and a brave attitude to face this ongoing terror. Lourdes was there, eager to try the project's digital cam as she planned to record the nature experience and the rest of our group Christine, Christina, Kia, Ginny, Sherry, Dianna, Pat, Leslie, Rachel, Heather, Joylyn and Rachel were equipped with cell phones and cameras all set to capture pictures and sounds of the day's experience. Our advisor, Dr. Pete Smith, made gracious introductions and Scott Massey, aka Captain Computer, stood by ready as ever with helpful technical advice. We eagerly turned our attention to Phyllis and Suzie as they explained to us the mission of River Legacy, the educational programs and future projects.

Phyllis, the calm, yet passionate director of the River Legacy Science Center explained that River Legacy Parks is the product of a public/private partnership between River Legacy Foundation and the city of Arlington. It was founded in 1988, and its mission is to preserve and enhance land along the Trinity River and its tributaries as an extraordinary
recreational, educational and natural resource (River Legacy Website, 2007). Their goal for the citizens of the Arlington area to know, learn from and love the river experience is manifested in its many educational and recreational programs. Horticulturist Luther Burkank expresses in his 1906 poem the belief that " "Every child should have mud pies,grasshoppers, waterbugs, tadpoles,frogs, mud turtles, elderberries, wild strawberries, acorns, chestnuts, trees to climb, brooks to wade in,water lilies, woodchucks, bats, bees, butterflies, various animals to pet, hay-fields,pinecones, rocks to roll, sand, snakes, huckleberries and hornets; and any child who has been deprived of these has been deprived of the best part of education."

And River Legacy offers just those opportunities with summer camps for children pre-k through 12, school year programs and special events such as After Dark in the Park, Cardboard Regatta, Petpalooza, and Caddy Shack Scramble. Educators are afforded professional development opportunites and individuals and families are invited in for a variety of learning opporortunities as well. In a world filled with commercialism, noise, and constant entertainment opportunities, the River Legacy Foundation as chosen another path--one that resonates of our past and promises a future, not possible without the re-emergence of the nature that sustained our past:

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

Our day at River Legacy was marked with squeals of excitement as grown women touched their feet to the sandy clay earth as they walked gingerly down a river bank clinging to the roots and each other for support. Cameras noiselessly clicked magnificent shots of water, redolent in its stillness, with dragon flies flickering through the air, butterflies making brief landings on flower and greenery, spiders spun gossamer webs just barely visible in the early morning sunlight. Rediesha, bravely smiled as she clicked and silently prayed as she worked to over come her fear of potentially seeing one of God's ceatures--the snake. We laughed and shared our past experiences in nature--forging deeper friendships as we shed our school personnas and peeling back layers of the past to reveal the precious memories of us as children in natural surroundings. We thought about the paths we had chosen and wondered why we had not kept our connection with nature--

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

Today we sit in class and listen as each of us shares our written reflections of this beautiful day at River Legacy. Rediiesha, fear put to rest, shares her joy in an exquisite gospel rendition of the second verse of "How Great Thou Art":

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.

Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

We, like the leadership and staff at River Legacy, want to treasure the gifts of nature, honor ourselves as part of nature, and thank of Maker for the gift of nature. In so doing, we like Robert Frost, take a differnt path and reflect:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Cracking Open Sentences (based on the work of Georgia Heard)

Simple sentence: It rained a lot.

Cracked Open Sentence: Wind, liberally sprinkled with drops of rain, whipped across my sodden pants legs, chilling me to the bone, as I slogged across the water-soaked long. Deep footprints were etched in the lawn as I doggedly bent forward into the wind wrapping my lined rain coat around my shivering body.

Scott's Lecture On Podacsting

Podcasting is audio that can be pushed to an audio device such as an IPOD or MP3 paper.
The ability to be subscribed to makes it a podcast.

To distribute milti media files over the internet through syndication

Phrase coined in 2004 (combination of Ipods and Bradcasting)
Primarily Used for Audio Files
Mobile Devices or Personal Computers

Yahoo has a built in news reader--it is an aggregator, can open up or download the information.

Overview of Blogging?

Blogs, Weblogs, Vblog

• Journal/Diary/News (daily events)
• In classrooms (Discussion Forum)
• Audio/Video -we can post these to our blogs.
  
• Legal Issues

Podcasters

Host or author of the podcast

• Must have a place to save audio file

Must share information
Does your service use podcasting?

Syndication File Formats
RSS (Really Sijmple Syndication)
Podacsting
ATOM
Developed to overcome RSS deficiencies
Uses "Push" technology

XML Extensible Markup Language

Aggregators
Desktop Software/Web Tools used to retrieve syndicated feeds
Regularly checks for updates
Being Built into SItes (MyYahoo, AOL, GOogle)
Web Browsers (Mozaill Firefox)
Boksmarks
Can be downloaded as an Add-on.

Subscribing to feeds

Subscribing to syndication feeds
iTunes
ww.bloglines.com
Mozilla Firefox
Must install Add-on for Windows
Add as a bookmark
Examples:
www,995thewolf.com
http://pa.gigavox.com/shows/detail1102.html

Response to Wilfred Gordon. . .

Response to Wilfred Gordon . . .

I reached in my purse and pulled out, tah, dah, my IPOD! Although my IPOD is relatively new—just a year or so old, it already holds many memories.

Echoes of monks intoning parts of the mass ripple to the surface in my many Gregorian chants.

Cool sounds of John Coltrane create the relaxing sensation of sitting and sipping refreshments with friends.

Inspiring, motivating and heart stirring music moves me mightily as I listen to the powerful work of Gustav Holtz’s Jupiter.

The many magical moments of Mozart uplift me as I listen to his works.

Christmas crystallizes for me in the special music I have captured on my IPOD and each one takes me to a different place a different part of my life.

When I listen to Gregorian chants, I am back in Rome. in a 20^th century monastery above a 6^th century church. I step across the cool marble path of the hallway and listen to the almost mystical chants of the monks participating in a daily liturgy or a call to prayer with the Liturgy of the Hours. Sounds of the busy modern Rome are diminished by this encounter with the sacred and I pause from my modern journey to step back into this moment where the sacred and secular merge.

What do the strains of John Coltrane bring to mind? Memories of friends--having fun and working with friends. Chris White, is a friend, who is a Mass Communications professor. His office, funky and fresh with pop culture as he is, is located near the SHSU Radio Station. When I was an assistant professor at SHSU, I used to go to his office to work on collaborative projects. Big and roomy, it allowed creativity just to spark off the pastel walls which were an amalgam of art and found objects which became art in that environment. A bony skeleton hung next to a poster from the MET and a UT football was perched on a shelf between academic tomes. This eclectic mix created an atmosphere which supported writing magic.

In the afternoons SHSU student radio hosted jazz shows, and that's where I learned to love jazz. John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dizzie Gillespie--the classic jazz artists from the late twentieth century crept into my consciousness as their work became an enchanting undercurrent to the collaborative work Chris and I were doing. My intensity for the work was mellowed and morphed into a more creative focus with the synergy of Chris's and my combined thoughts and the jazz that accomapnied them! Now when I hear jazz, I immediately go to that same place and a similar synergy is there.

Simple sentence: Now when I hear jazz, I immediately go to that same place and a similar synergy is there.

Now when I hear the delicious free-spirited sounds that mark music as jazz, I am transformed back through time and space to those synergestic moments of shared work.

Unexploded Moment: When I was an assistant professor at SHSU, I used to go to his office to work on collaborative projects.

Exploded Moment: Green with the newness

Midwinter/SI To Do

Check on space for conference--Jeannine We are going to stay at the University Club and I'm checking on seeing if I can get a UTA bus to transport us over to Trimble Hall and pick us up and bring us back. It's a much nicer space than the hall we were in last year at the Honors College.

Write confirmation to each registrant--Joyce

Confirm to Speakers and Presenters--Joyce (needs and reminder of time/topic)

Write thank you's to speakers/presenters--Joyce

Commitees: Teresa & Stacy Antonina-Registration--Joyce--sends letters, (SENT TO CATHERINE< TERESA & CATIE RILEY) 01/09/2007

01/10/2007 CATHERINE YES

01/10/2007 TERESA YES

katherine *KELLY-money--Joyce sends letters, SENT1/09/2007

01/10/2007 KATHERINE YES

name tags & certificates--Jeannine send letter

hostess for each presenter-Joyce sends letters,

Lisa: SENT 01/09/07 to Kristin Connell

LORI: SENT 01/09/07 to Donna Bresselaar01/10/2007 YES

Katherine: SENT 01/09/07 to Morgan Hilley

Jill: SENT 01/09/07 to Heather Sanders

Pete: Barbara Sent 01/09/07 to Barbara 01/10/2007 YES

Barrie: Francine SENT 01/09/07 TO francine

moderator for each presenter-Joyce sends letters,See List above... sent 01/09/2007

Presenters-Hostesses the conference (general)--Joyce sends letters

(write them and ask if they would handle these particular areas of need)

Barbara to Pete--Joyce sends letters Sent Letter 01/09/07 01/10/2007 YES

Francine to Barry--Joyce sends letters Sent Letter 01/09/07

Meet January 27th to make name tags as Leadership Meeting--Jeannine

Send invitation to TC's and others to meet on 1/27 to make nametags and certificates--Jeannine

*****Freedom Writer's Movie as continuity sometime in January--or a movie night in the summer...

Summer Institute Applicants-enroll online at conference--Joyce

Set a date for interviewing SI apps--Jeannine

Respond to those that have applied online SI--(after hearing from Jeannine)--Joyce

Tina Gil-Catering/Mr. Lunsford-Rooms at UC--Jeannine

Sequence of events for conference (over phone) Jeannine and Joyce - By January 20th

Midwinter/SI To Do

Check on space for conference--Jeannine We are going to stay at the University Club and I'm checking on seeing if I can get a UTA bus to transport us over to Trimble Hall and pick us up and bring us back. It's a much nicer space than the hall we were in last year at the Honors College.

Write confirmation to each registrant--Joyce

Confirm to Speakers and Presenters--Joyce (needs and reminder of time/topic)

Write thank you's to speakers/presenters--Joyce

Commitees: Teresa & Stacy Antonina-Registration--Joyce--sends letters, (SENT TO CATHERINE< TERESA & CATIE RILEY) 01/09/2007

01/10/2007 CATHERINE YES

01/10/2007 TERESA YES

katherine *KELLY-money--Joyce sends letters, SENT1/09/2007

01/10/2007 KATHERINE YES

name tags & certificates--Jeannine send letter

hostess for each presenter-Joyce sends letters,

Lisa: SENT 01/09/07 to Kristin Connell

LORI: SENT 01/09/07 to Donna Bresselaar01/10/2007 YES

Katherine: SENT 01/09/07 to Morgan Hilley

Jill: SENT 01/09/07 to Heather Sanders

Pete: Barbara Sent 01/09/07 to Barbara 01/10/2007 YES

Barrie: Francine SENT 01/09/07 TO francine

moderator for each presenter-Joyce sends letters,See List above... sent 01/09/2007

Presenters-Hostesses the conference (general)--Joyce sends letters

(write them and ask if they would handle these particular areas of need)

Barbara to Pete--Joyce sends letters Sent Letter 01/09/07 01/10/2007 YES

Francine to Barry--Joyce sends letters Sent Letter 01/09/07

Meet January 27th to make name tags as Leadership Meeting--Jeannine

Send invitation to TC's and others to meet on 1/27 to make nametags and certificates--Jeannine

*****Freedom Writer's Movie as continuity sometime in January--or a movie night in the summer...

Summer Institute Applicants-enroll online at conference--Joyce

Set a date for interviewing SI apps--Jeannine

Respond to those that have applied online SI--(after hearing from Jeannine)--Joyce

Tina Gil-Catering/Mr. Lunsford-Rooms at UC--Jeannine

Sequence of events for conference (over phone) Jeannine and Joyce - By January 20th